Van Canto – Lido, Berlin; April 10th 2016
After the amazing show in Vosselaar I was so hyped I absolutely wanted to see Van Canto again. What a surprise when I checked the tour dates and discovered they were scheduled to play Berlin the same weekend I had planned to be there to see JIm Kroft. I considered this perfect timing and immediately changed my plans from leaving Sunday afternoon to leaving Sunday night and bought a ticket to their concert at Lido. Granted, I hardly got any sleep and working the next day was awful, but the concert was totally worth it. I sang, screamed, jumped, even head-banged, heard great music and got some eye candy to boot. An absolutely perfect night.
Arrived shortly after 4 pm, expecting a crowd and was alone for most of the next hour. By 5 there were three of us and only around 20 minutes before the doors opened the crowd got bigger. Until the we enjoyed chatting and watching people coming and going. Had a bit of fun with Stefan coming out and asking if any of us was “Andreas Somethingorother”. We all replied “no” and a moment later one of the guys joked that thinking about it he could be Andreas. Stefan replied he’d have to do a camera interview then. I joked that I had a camera and knew how to do interviews too, but he didn’t go for it. 😉 Thus, more waiting. The doors opened on time and it was an easy front row, despite carrying all my luggage with me. The stage was smaller than I remembered. It was going to be a good night.
The first band, Sinbreed, started shortly after 7. They didn’t have all that much light, but the sound was good and the music melodious and very listenable. I enjoyed their set.
Setlist
Intro
Through the Dark
Bleed
Moonlit Night
Master Creator
On the Run
Book of Life
The Grailknights were just as I remembred them from Vosselaar: funny, enthusiastic and a bit theatrical. When they called out for their battle choir quite a few people in the audience replied “Yes sire” even before being instructed so I was not the only person seeing more than one show on this tour.
Once again they were a lot of fun, always trying to get the audience to go along with them. Two girls in front row didn’t feel like it and got special attention. Pretty much everyone else was singing along though and took part in the “Grailrobics” exercises. It’s not the music I would listen to at home, but together with their makeup and theater it was pretty cool. I liked it.
Setlist
Intro
Dead or Alive
Morning Dew
Nameless Grave
Crimson Shades of Glory
Rise of the Black Knight
Superheromedley
Grailquest Gladiators
A bit after 9 pm it was finally time for Van Canto. The lights went down and the crowd erupted into cheers. For the intro they had ‘Feuerstimmen’ author Christoph Hardebusch sit in a chair and read the book’s epilogue. Then they stepped out on stage singing songs from their vocal metal musical ‘Voices of Fire’. I was totally caught up in watching them and listening to the beautiful voices. In-between songs, Stefan told us a bit more of the book’s story, first introducing the bard (Dennis) and the queen (Inga). Later, when he got to the point in the story where the heroine and the hero fall in love he joked that they had been wondering how to show this and concluded that in some cases it is better for the images to remain only in our heads. Somewhere during the first part the band introduced author Christoph Hardebusch and Osmar Arroyo who did the artwork, claiming they were needed because the band needed some metal hair. 😉
Overall Van Canto were in a great mood and it got better during the night because the audience reaction was amazing. Everyone sang along loudly, there were call and response yells of “Rakkatakka” – “Motherfucker” lead by some girls to the left, going on and on until Stefan joked it was enough if they lost their voices and we didn’t have to. It was so much fun watching them and singing with them. Their unbelievable energy floated off the stage and into the audience, only to be multiplied there. Everyone in the room was totally into the music – jumping, dancing and head-banging, clapping and singing along. Whenever I looked around people were smiling, some with their eyes closed and lost in the music. The band enjoyed this, giving us all they had in return for the love they received. It was absolutely perfect!
I loved their selection of songs with “Neuer Wind” being my personal highlight. Other favorites were ‘Battleday’s Dawn’ and ‘Bardcall’. Of the cover versions I enjoyed ‘Rebellion’, ‘Fear of the Dark’ and ‘Wishmaster’ most. The latter always makes me grin, because I originally came across it in one of those misheard lyrics videos on youTube and can never quite get those wrong words and the pictures out of my head. 🙂 Everything was sung perfectly and they never seemed to stand still. It was hot in the hall and even hotter on stage. Basti’s shirt came off after the first part, Dennis’s followed after the second. I did not mind the eye candy at all. 😀 They were dripping sweat by the time the second set ended. Whenever they asked us to sing along I did it at the top of my lungs and at one point Stefan even taught us to sing the guitars. We sounded pretty good too. 😉 There was so much happiness in the room, so many smiles on stage.
When they walked off we all yelled for more and they came back out soon treating us to ‘Bardcall’, ‘The MIssion’ / ‘Battery’ and finally ‘Fear of the Dark’. The perfect finale. I loved every second of the show and when they finally asked us to take a picture with them I raised my arms high up in the air, yelling out all the elation I felt. I smiled when Inga told Christoph she’d lean onto his shoulder, because she did not want to touch sweaty Dennis between them. He noticed and mock threatened to hug her. 😀 This band does not only make awesome music, they are funny too. I already know I will be back for the next tour!
Setlist
Intro
Clashing on Armour Plates
Dragonwake
Time and TIme again
All my Life
Battleday’s Dawn
Firevows
Stora Rövardansen / Pathfinder
Wishmaster
Speed of Light
Kings of Metal
Rebellion
To sing a Metal Song
Neuer Wind
Bard’s Song
Bardcall
Mission / Battery
Fear of the Dark